Simpson-Bowles Zombie Returns

President Obama and many Democrats spent much of 2011 talking about deficits instead of doing something about jobs. Now, a too-close election is on the horizon (too-close because of spending 2011 talking about deficits instead of doing something about jobs) and we're being forced back to talking about deficits instead of jobs -- by a Democrat!

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad says he is going to introduce the "Simpson-Bowles" deficit plan as his fiscal year 2013 budget resolution. This is a plan put forward by Alan Simpson, a retired Republican Senator who hates Social Security, and Erskine Bowles, a member of the Board of Wall Street's Morgan Stanley. So here we are once again with the same old same old plan from the same old same old elites. Namely: cuts in Social Security and other things We, the People do for each other, combined with even more tax cuts for the rich. This austeridiocy plan to grow the economy by taking money out of the economy is a billionaire-backed zombie that never dies.

A key senator said Tuesday he would try to revive the so-called Bowles-Simpson plan as a starting point in negotiations over a long-term debt-reduction plan.

... The original Bowles-Simpson plan would reduce deficits by at least $4 trillion over 10 years by cutting defense and discretionary spending, curbing federal entitlement costs and reforming the tax code.

"Reforming" the tax code as used here means lowering tax rates for the rich and corporations, getting rid of a number of deductions to make it look like it isn't such a big tax cut and then later putting back lots of new deductions and breaks for the rich and corporations.

Now Mr. Conrad could try to force the first Senate vote on the measure, though it would likely first come from the members on his committee. Mr. Conrad was on the Simpson-Bowles commission and voted for the plan in 2010. He's also on the so-called Gang of Six lawmakers looking for a legislative path to put the proposal into law. The plan was originally designed by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.

Push It Through After Election?

Citizens don't get to vote on austerity plans.

This time they're going to try to get this austerity plan through when few are paying attention: after the election but before the newly elected Congress comes in. This way democracy won't get in the way, and the public doesn't get a chance to react and hold legislators accountable. This might sound rather like the Greek austerity plan to cut working people's wages, cut the things the Greek government does for its people, lay off public employees, and especially to sell off the things the public owns and operates so a wealthy few can profit.

When the Greek Prime Minister proposed letting the public vote on this austerity plan he was removed, and bankers took control of the country, this is how it went:

I've heard from some of my Republican colleagues who... said you're doing exactly what needs to be done but we're not going to be able to do something like this until after the election. And I think that's true for many Democrats as well... Simpson-Bowles put the vote of the commission after the 2010 election to try and insulate it from politics as much as possible. That's what we're trying to do here... I don't expect a vote after the election.

... We should be swift to say to people, however, that compared to current law, it's a $1.8 trillion tax cut.

Grand Bargain -- 'Til They Go Back On The Deal

Aside from the whole subvert-democracy thing where they decide this after the election so no one can be held accountable, the record for "deals" is not good. The "debt-ceiling" hostage deal finally ended with Republicans agreeing to "sequestration" that includes military spending cuts. But it hasn't worked out that way: